Fixing Reference

Imogen Dickie

Description

Imogen Dickie develops an account of aboutness-fixing for thoughts about ordinary objects, and of reference-fixing for the singular terms we use to express them. Extant discussions of this topic tread a weary path through descriptivist proposals, causalist alternatives, and attempts to combine the most attractive elements of each. The account developed here is a new beginning. It starts with two basic principles. The first connects aboutness and truth: a belief is about the object upon whose properties its truth or falsity depends. The second connects truth and justification: justification is truth conducive; in general and allowing exceptions, a subject whose beliefs are justified will be unlucky if they are not true, and not merely lucky if they are. These principles--one connecting aboutness and truth; the other truth and justification--combine to yield a third principle connecting aboutness and justification: a body of beliefs is about the object upon which its associated means of justification converges; the object whose properties a subject justifying beliefs in this way will be unlucky to get wrong and not merely luck to get right. The first part of the book proves a precise version of this principle. Its remaining chapters use the principle to explain how the relations to objects that enable us to think about them--perceptual attention; understanding of proper names; grasp of descriptions--do their aboutness-fixing and thought-enabling work. The book includes discussions of the nature of singular thought and the relation between thought and consciousness.

Fixing Reference

Imogen Dickie

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. In which a precise version of the connection between aboutness and justification is derived from more basic principles3. The mind has a basic need to represent things outside itself4. Perceptual demonstratives5. Proper names6. The delicate question of reference by description7. Descriptions and singular thought8. Thought and consciousnessAppendix: Key to notationReferencesIndex

Fixing Reference

Imogen Dickie

Author Information

Fixing Reference

Imogen Dickie

Reviews and Awards

"In this challenging and welcome contribution, Imogen Dickie presents an interesting account of a rich debate that has occupied, among others, philosophers of language and mind over the last few decades...Dickie's contribution should be viewed as a novel addition and enrichment." -- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews